10 Wild Animals That Have Olympic Gold-Medal Worthy Abilities

The opening ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics is July 27, and whether it's your child's first Summer Olympics or they've watched the games before, the National Wildlife Federation offers a creative way to get them excited about the global event by comparing Olympians with wild animals that use similar skills for survival.

The National Wildlife Federation offers a unique way to get your kids excited about the upcoming London 2012 Summer Olympics while also teaching them a few fun facts about wildlife. Who knew a tiny primate in the jungle leaps similar to an Olympic gymnast when searching for food?

Which animals have survival skills that resemble the amazing physical abilities of Olympians?

High-Jump StarsThe champion of the animal world may be the spittle bug. This insect is only as long as a pencil eraser but it can jump 115 times higher than its body length. That would be like a person leaping over a 70-story skyscraper.

Going the DistanceChinook salmon may travel more than 2,000 miles as they swim inland from the sea and head up the rivers and streams where they hatched. That’s about the distance between Detroit, Michigan and Los Angeles, California.

Then there is the Arctic tern, a bird with the longest migration, traveling from the Arctic all the way to the Antarctic, and back again, each year. They literally migrate from one end of the planet to the other, 50,000 miles in total!

The sooty shearwater would take the silver medal with a migrating journey beginning in New Zealand and ending in the North Pacific, 40,000 miles annually. The Pacific gray whale can only hope for the bronze. It’s the longest migrating mammal traveling a round-trip journey of 12,000 miles

Broad-Jump WinnersWhat animal takes the prize among the best leapers? Most scientists agree: it’s the tiny southern cricket frog, a tree frog living on the ground in many southeastern states. It’s only about an inch long but can jump 62 times its body length.

Diving SpecialistsThe beaked whale, actually more closely related to dolphins than whales, can dive deeper in the ocean than any other animal. Heading down to depths of 6,230 feet, that’s over a mile deep, it can then hold its breath for 85 minutes before resurfacing for air.

Jungle GymnastsThe African Bush Baby is a tiny primate and lives in the treetops. It has incredible leaping abilities. As it prowls the tropical forests at night looking for fruits and insects to devour, bush babies can make leaps of 20 feet or more, which is many times their own body length. They are great jumpers and acrobats too as they move in complete silence and can see in almost absolute darkness with the help of their huge eyes.

A cheetah can run faster than 60mph!

Run, Run, Fast as You CanThe fastest animal on the planet is the cheetah which can run as speeds over 60 miles per hour. But even that doesn’t always ensure that this big cat gets a meal. The gazelles and other small antelope that are the cheetah’s main prey are not as fast as the cat, but they have greater endurance and agility in a high-speed chase and often escape the spotted speedster. The silver medal would go to the pronghorn, the planet’s second-fastest animal with a top speed that almost matches the cheetah’s.

Fast SwimmersThe killer whale or orca can swim up to 30 or 40 miles an hour. But it usually cruises at much slower speeds, between 2 to 6 miles an hour. The gentoo penguin can’t fly in the air like other birds, but it can fly through the water. It has a perfect shape for swimming and wings that work like paddles. It can reach a speed of 15 miles an hour, three times faster than humans.

This article is courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation, a 75-year-old organization that aims to inspire Americans to protect wildlife.Learn more about other amazing animals at nwf.org.

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